Discharge device

Abstract

To provide a discharge device capable of reducing sheet transportation faults while suppressing stain and damage on sheets.SOLUTION: A belt transportation part 5 comprises a rotating belt 31, and a paper holding part 34 arranged on the belt 31 to hold paper P, and transports the paper P. A paper discharge table 9 is a table on which the paper P transported by the belt transportation part 5 is loaded. A limit wall 11 limits a position of an upstream end of the paper P loaded on the paper discharge table 9. A paper push part 47 pushes the paper P leaning on the limit wall 11 to drop them on the paper discharge table 9 without contacting the paper P loaded on the paper discharge table 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge device that discharges a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A discharge device is known that discharges printed sheets such as paper from a printing device and stacks them on a stacking tray.

[0003] As an example of such a device, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet discharge device that includes a pair of paper discharge rollers that discharge paper onto a tray (loading platform), and a paddle that rotates coaxially with the pair of paper discharge rollers and knocks the paper down onto the loaded paper on the tray.

[0004] This sheet ejection device uses a paddle to quickly knock the paper down, allowing it to drop stably onto the stack of paper on the tray, reducing paper feed problems such as paper jams. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-327776 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the sheet ejection device, the paddle operates to rub the paper stack on the tray, so that the ink on the paper may adhere to the paddle and the ink may be retransferred to the following paper, causing the paper to become dirty or damaged.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a discharge device that can reduce sheet transport failure while suppressing stains and damage to the sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the discharge device of the present invention is characterized in that it has a rotating circulating body and a holding section provided on the circulating body for holding sheets, and is equipped with a conveying section for conveying sheets, a loading platform on which the sheets conveyed by the conveying section are loaded, a regulating wall for regulating the position of the upstream end of the sheets loaded on the loading platform in the sheet transport direction by the conveying section, and a sheet pushing section provided on the circulating body for pushing sheets leaning against the regulating wall and dropping them onto the loading platform without contacting the paper loaded on the loading platform. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the discharge device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce sheet transport failure while suppressing stains and damage to the sheet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a paper discharge device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a belt conveying section of the paper ejection device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line BB in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a perspective view of a paper holder of the belt transport unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 6 is a front view of the paper holder shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 2 is a control block diagram of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet of paper is leaning against a regulating wall. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the paper pushing section is pushing the paper leaning against the restriction wall. FIG. [Figure 11]13 is a diagram showing a state in which the paper that was leaning against the regulation wall is stacked on the paper discharge tray. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a front view of the paper holder in the second embodiment when set to press paper with a curved paper pressing section. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a front view of the paper holder shown in FIG. 12 when the flat paper pushing section is set to push the paper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0012] The following embodiments are examples of devices for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention does not limit the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of each component to those described below. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

[0013] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a paper discharge device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a belt conveying section of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line BB in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a paper holding section of the belt conveying section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a front view of the paper holding section shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. 1.

[0014] In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction, and the front direction of the paper is referred to as the forward direction. Additionally, the top, bottom, left, and right directions on the plane of the paper in Fig. 1 are referred to as the up, down, left, and right directions. The up and down direction is the vertical direction, and the left and right directions and the front and back directions are perpendicular to each other and are all perpendicular to the up and down direction. The direction from left to right is the paper transport direction. In the following description, upstream and downstream refer to upstream and downstream in the paper transport direction.

[0015] 1 and 8, the paper discharge device (corresponding to the discharge device) 1 according to the first embodiment includes two pairs of transport rollers 2, a transport roller drive motor 3, a paper sensor 4, a belt transport section (corresponding to the transport section) 5, a belt drive motor 6, an end fence 7, an end fence motor 8, a paper discharge tray (corresponding to the loading tray) 9, a lifting motor 10, a restricting wall 11, and a control section 12. The paper discharge device 1 discharges (ejects) paper printed by a printing device (not shown).

[0016] The conveying rollers 2 nip the paper (corresponding to a sheet) P and convey it toward the belt conveying section 5. The two pairs of conveying rollers 2 are disposed on the upstream side of the belt conveying section 5 and spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction (left-right direction) of the paper P.

[0017] The transport roller drive motor 3 drives the two pairs of transport rollers 2 .

[0018] The paper sensor 4 detects the paper P being transported by the transport rollers 2. The paper sensor 4 is disposed between two pairs of transport rollers 2 in the left-right direction. The paper sensor 4 is used to control the timing at which the belt transport unit 5 starts transporting the paper P.

[0019] The belt conveying section 5 holds and conveys the paper P conveyed by the conveying rollers 2. The belt conveying section 5 includes two belt units 21 and a shaft 22, as shown in FIGS.

[0020] The two belt units 21 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The belt unit 21 includes two belts (corresponding to circulating bodies) 31, a driving pulley 32, a driven pulley 33, and two paper holders (corresponding to holders) 34.

[0021] The two belts 31 hold and move the paper holding unit 34. The belt 31 is a circular toothed belt that is stretched around a drive pulley 32 and a driven pulley 33. The two belts 31 are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. The two belts 31 rotate (circulate) when driven by the drive pulley 32, thereby moving the paper holding unit 34.

[0022] The drive pulley 32 rotates (circulates) the belt 31. The drive pulleys 32 of the two belt units 21 in the belt conveyor 5 are connected to each other by a shaft 22. When the shaft 22 is rotated by the drive of the belt drive motor 6, the drive pulley 32 rotates, and the belt 31 rotates. The drive pulley 32 is a toothed pulley that meshes with the belt 31.

[0023] The driven pulley 33 supports two belts 31 together with the driving pulley 32. The driven pulley 33 rotates following the rotation of the rotating belts 31. Like the driving pulley 32, the driven pulley 33 is a toothed pulley that meshes with the belts 31.

[0024] The paper holding section 34 is a member that holds the paper P transported by the belt transport section 5. In the belt unit 21, two paper holding sections 34 are attached to the belt 31, spaced apart from each other by half the circumference of the belt 31. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the paper holding section 34 includes a main body section 36 and a movable section 37.

[0025] 5 to 7 are views showing a state in which paper holding unit 34 is suspended from belt 31 between driving pulley 32 and driven pulley 33. Unless otherwise specified, the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions of paper holding unit 34 refer to the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions in the state shown in FIGS.

[0026] The main body 36 constitutes the main body of the paper holding unit 34. The main body 36 is made of resin. The main body 36 is formed with a paper receiving section 38 that receives paper P transported by the belt transport unit 5. The paper receiving section 38 is formed by hollowing out a portion of the left surface 36a of the main body 36. The paper receiving section 38 is formed with a support surface 38a that supports paper P. The support surface 38a is an upward-facing horizontal surface.

[0027] The main body 36 is also formed with a connection portion 39 for connecting the paper holder 34 to the two belts 31. The connection portion 39 has a vertical plate portion 41 that is erected on the upper surface 36b of the main body 36 and perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, and a horizontal plate portion 42 that is connected to the upper end of the vertical plate portion 41 and perpendicular to the up-down direction. The horizontal plate portion 42 is connected to the upper end of the vertical plate portion 41 at the center in the front-to-rear direction. A protrusion 42a that protrudes downward is formed on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 42.

[0028] 3 and 4, the front belt 31 is fitted between the horizontal plate portion 42 on the front side of the vertical plate portion 41 and the upper surface 36b of the main body portion 36, and the rear belt 31 is fitted between the horizontal plate portion 42 on the rear side of the vertical plate portion 41 and the upper surface 36b of the main body portion 36. The convex portion 42a of the horizontal plate portion 42 is fitted between two adjacent teeth of the belt 31. In this way, the paper holder 34 is attached to the two belts 31.

[0029] The movable section 37 is made of a member in which the clamping section 46 and the paper pressing section (corresponding to the sheet pressing section) 47 are integrally formed. The movable section 37 is made of resin. The movable section 37 is configured so that the position in the vertical direction relative to the main body section 36 can be manually adjusted. Note that the movable section 37 may also be configured so that the position in the vertical direction relative to the main body section 36 can be automatically adjusted.

[0030] The clamping unit 46 is disposed opposite the support surface 38a of the paper receiving unit 38, and clamps the paper P inserted into the paper receiving unit 38 of the main body unit 36 ​​between itself and the support surface 38a. The clamping unit 46 has multiple protrusions 46a protruding downward, and clamps the paper P between itself and the support surface 38a by the protrusions 46a. This allows the paper holding unit 34 to hold the paper P.

[0031] The paper pushing unit 47 pushes the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drops it onto the paper output tray 9 without coming into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper output tray 9. Here, as will be described later, when the paper P transported by the belt transport unit 5 hits the end fence 7, the impact may cause the paper P, which has hit the end fence 7 and been released from the hold by the paper holding unit 34, to lean against the regulating wall 11.

[0032] The paper pressing section 47 protrudes downward from the main body section 36. The paper pressing section 47 has a cross-sectional shape along the conveyance direction of the paper P that is formed into a curved surface having an arc shape.

[0033] As described above, the position of the movable portion 37 in the vertical direction relative to the main body portion 36 is adjustable. This allows the gap A between the support surface 38a and the clamping portion 46 and the protrusion amount B of the paper pushing portion 47 from the main body portion 36 to be adjusted in conjunction with each other in the paper holding portion 34. The larger the gap A, the smaller the protrusion amount B.

[0034] Gap A and protrusion amount B are adjusted according to the paper type. Specifically, the thinner the paper P, the smaller the gap A for clamping paper P and the larger the protrusion amount B are adjusted. As a result, the thinner the paper P, the more likely it is that paper P leaning against regulating wall 11 will sag downward, but by increasing protrusion amount B, it is possible to reduce the inability of paper pushing unit 47 to push paper P (not reach paper P).

[0035] The shaft 22 connects the drive pulleys 32 of the two belt units 21 in the belt conveying section 5 to each other.

[0036] The belt drive motor 6 drives the belt conveyor 5. Specifically, the belt drive motor 6 rotates the shaft 22 of the belt conveyor 5 to rotate each drive pulley 32. The belt drive motor 6 is a pulse motor. Note that a DC motor with an encoder may be used as the belt drive motor 6.

[0037] The end fence 7 is a member that receives the paper P transported by the belt transport unit 5 and releases the paper P from the paper holding unit 34. The end fence 7 is disposed between the two belt units 21 of the belt transport unit 5 in the front-rear direction. The end fence 7 is movable in the left-right direction according to the paper size.

[0038] The end fence motor 8 moves the end fence 7 in the left and right directions.

[0039] The paper ejection tray 9 is configured to stack the paper sheets P transported by the belt transport unit 5. The paper ejection tray 9 is disposed below the belt transport unit 5. The paper ejection tray 9 is configured to be capable of ascending and descending.

[0040] The lifting motor 10 lifts and lowers the paper discharge tray 9 .

[0041] The regulating wall 11 regulates the position of the upstream end (left end) of the paper P stacked on the paper ejection tray 9. The regulating wall 11 is disposed in the vicinity of the left side of the paper ejection tray 9.

[0042] The control unit 12 controls the operation of each part of the paper discharge device 1. The control unit 12 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and the like.

[0043] Next, the operation of the paper discharge device 1 will be described.

[0044] The control unit 12 places one of the paper holding units 34 of each of the two belt units 21 at the paper receiving position, and while causing the transport roller 2 to transport the paper P, inserts the leading edge of the paper P between the support surface 38a of the paper holding unit 34 and the clamping unit 46. As a result, the paper P is held by the paper holding unit 34.

[0045] Here, the paper receiving position of paper holding unit 34 is the position of paper holding unit 34 on the left side in FIG. 1, which is the position directly below drive pulley 32. Paper holding unit 34 can be placed at the paper receiving position by moving it from the home position by a predetermined number of drive pulses of belt drive motor 6. The home position of paper holding unit 34 is a position to the left of drive pulley 32. The fact that paper holding unit 34 is in the home position is detected by a home position sensor (not shown).

[0046] When the paper P is held by the paper holding unit 34, the control unit 12 starts driving the belt conveying unit 5. Here, the timing at which the belt conveying unit 5 starts driving is a predetermined time after the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P is detected by the paper sensor 4. The timing at which the belt conveying unit 5 starts driving is set to the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P inserted between the support surface 38a of the paper holding unit 34 and the clamping unit 46 reaches a predetermined position.

[0047] When the belt conveyor 5 starts to drive, the paper P is conveyed by the conveyor rollers 2 and the belt conveyor 5. Then, after the rear end (upstream end) of the paper P passes through the downstream conveyor rollers 2, the leading end (downstream end) of the paper P conveyed by the belt conveyor 5 hits the end fence 7.

[0048] As the paper holding unit 34 continues to move even after the paper P hits the end fence 7, the paper holding unit 34 releases the paper P from its hold. As a result, the paper P released from the paper holding unit 34 is stacked on the paper output tray 9.

[0049] Thereafter, when a paper holding unit 34 in each of the two belt units 21, different from the paper holding unit 34 that held the paper P that struck the end fence 7, reaches the paper receiving position, the control unit 12 stops the belt conveying unit 5. As a result, the paper holding unit 34 that holds the next paper P is positioned at the paper receiving position.

[0050] Then, while causing the transport rollers 2 to transport the paper P, the control unit 12 causes the leading edge of the paper P to be inserted between the support surface 38a of the paper holding unit 34 and the clamping unit 46. When the paper P is thus held by the paper holding unit 34, the control unit 12 starts driving the belt transport unit 5. When the paper P hits the end fence 7, the paper holding unit 34 releases the paper P from its hold, and the paper P released from the paper holding unit 34 is stacked on the paper output tray 9.

[0051] By repeating the above-mentioned operation of placing the paper holding unit 34 at the paper receiving position, holding and transporting the paper P with the paper holding unit 34, and hitting the end fence 7 to stack it on the paper output tray 9, multiple papers P are sequentially output to the paper output tray 9.

[0052] During the above-mentioned paper discharge operation, the control unit 12 lowers the paper discharge tray 9 in accordance with an increase in the number of papers P stacked on the paper discharge tray 9, and maintains the height position of the uppermost paper P on the paper discharge tray 9 at a predetermined position. The height position of the uppermost paper P on the paper discharge tray 9 is lower than the lower end of the paper pushing unit 47 of the paper holding unit 34 that is in the paper receiving position. Therefore, the paper pushing unit 47 does not come into contact with the papers P stacked on the paper discharge tray 9.

[0053] However, when the sheet P hits the end fence 7, the impact can cause the behavior of the sheet P to become disturbed, and as a result, the sheet P released from the sheet holder 34 can lean against the regulating wall 11, as shown in Fig. 9. When the sheet P is leaning against the regulating wall 11, the next sheet P being conveyed from the conveying rollers 2 to the belt conveying section 5 can collide with the sheet P leaning against the regulating wall 11, which can cause a conveying failure such as a paper jam.

[0054] In contrast, in the paper discharge device 1, when there is paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11, as a paper holding unit 34 different from the paper holding unit 34 that was holding the paper P moves to the paper receiving position, as shown in FIG. 10, the paper pushing unit 47 of the paper holding unit 34 pushes the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drops it onto the paper discharge tray 9 without coming into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 9.

[0055] 11, the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 is properly stacked on the paper output tray 9. The paper holder 34, which has pressed the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11, stops at the paper receiving position and becomes ready to receive the next paper P.

[0056] As described above, the paper discharge device 1 includes the paper pushing unit 47 that pushes the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drops it onto the paper discharge tray 9 without coming into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 9. This makes it possible to reduce conveyance problems such as paper jams caused by a collision between the next paper P conveyed by the belt conveying unit 5 and the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11.

[0057] In addition, since the paper pushing section 47 does not come into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 9, it is possible to prevent the ink on the paper P from adhering to the paper pushing section 47 and being retransferred to the succeeding paper P and staining the paper P. In addition, damage to the paper P is also prevented.

[0058] Therefore, according to the paper discharge device 1, it is possible to reduce conveyance failure of the paper P while suppressing stains and damage to the paper P.

[0059] Furthermore, in the paper discharge device 1, the paper pushing section 47 is provided in the paper holding section 34, so that the device configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0060] Furthermore, in the paper discharge device 1, the amount of protrusion B of the paper pressing part 47 of the paper holding part 34 from the main body part 36 can be adjusted. This reduces the occurrence of the paper pressing part 47 being unable to press the paper P (not reaching the paper P).

[0061] Furthermore, in the paper discharge device 1, the protrusion amount B of the paper holding portion 34 is adjusted in conjunction with the gap A between the support surface 38a and the clamping portion 46. This makes it possible to easily set the gap A and the protrusion amount B according to the paper type (thickness of the paper P).

[0062] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment in which the paper holding section of the first embodiment is modified will be described.

[0063] Fig. 12 is a front view of the paper holder in the second embodiment when the curved paper pressing section is set to press the paper, and Fig. 13 is a front view of the paper holder shown in Fig. 12 when the flat paper pressing section is set to press the paper.

[0064] 12 and 13, paper holding unit 34A in the second embodiment has a configuration in which movable unit 37 of paper holding unit 34 in the first embodiment is replaced with a clamping unit 51, a movable protrusion 52, and a rotating shaft 53. Clamping unit 51, movable protrusion 52, and rotating shaft 53 are configured separately from one another.

[0065] The clamping section 51, like the clamping section 46 of the first embodiment, is disposed opposite the support surface 38a of the paper receiving section 38 and clamps the paper P inserted into the paper receiving section 38 of the main body section 36 between itself and the support surface 38a. The clamping section 51 has a plurality of protrusions 51a similar to the protrusions 46a of the clamping section 46 of the first embodiment. The clamping section 51 is configured so that the gap between it and the support surface 38a is adjustable. The clamping section 51 is formed from resin.

[0066] The movable protrusion 52, like the paper pushing section 47 in the first embodiment, pushes the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drops it onto the paper output tray 9 without coming into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper output tray 9. The movable protrusion 52 is made of resin.

[0067] 12 and 13, the movable protrusion 52 has a curved paper pressing section (corresponding to a sheet pressing section) 56 and a flat paper pressing section (corresponding to a sheet pressing section) 57. The movable protrusion 52 can be manually rotated about the rotation shaft 53 to switch between a state in which the curved paper pressing section 56 protrudes from the main body section 36 and a state in which the flat paper pressing section 57 protrudes from the main body section 36. The movable protrusion 52 may be configured to rotate automatically.

[0068] The curved paper pressing section 56 has a curved surface section 56a that presses the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11. The curved surface section 56a has a cross-sectional shape along the paper P transport direction that is formed in an arc shape.

[0069] The flat paper pressing portion 57 has a flat portion 57 a that presses the paper P leaning against the regulation wall 11 .

[0070] The pivot shaft 53 extends in the front-rear direction and supports the movable protrusion 52 so that it can pivot.

[0071] In the second embodiment, the paper holder 34A is switched between a setting in which the curved paper pressing unit 56 presses the paper P and a setting in which the flat paper pressing unit 57 presses the paper P depending on the paper type.

[0072] Specifically, when the paper P is thin paper, as shown in Fig. 12, the curved paper pressing section 56 protrudes from the main body section 36, and the curved paper pressing section 56 presses the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11. When the paper P is standard paper (plain paper) or thick paper, as shown in Fig. 13, the flat paper pressing section 57 protrudes from the main body section 36, and the flat paper pressing section 57 presses the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11.

[0073] If the paper P is thin paper, the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 tends to sag downward and become curved. In response to this, by pressing the paper P with the curved surface portion 56a of the curved paper pressing portion 56, the contact area between the curved paper pressing portion 56 and the paper P can be made relatively large. This makes it easier to press the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drop it onto the paper output tray 9. Also, because it is the curved surface portion 56a that comes into contact with the paper P, damage to the paper P can be reduced.

[0074] When the paper P is standard paper or thick paper, the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 is less likely to sag and is more likely to become flat than when the paper P is thin paper. In contrast, by pressing the paper P with the flat portion 57a ​​of the flat paper pressing portion 57, the contact area between the flat paper pressing portion 57 and the paper P can be made relatively large. This makes it easier to press the paper P leaning against the regulating wall 11 and drop it onto the paper output tray 9.

[0075] As described above, in the second embodiment, depending on the paper type, paper holding unit 34A is switched between a setting in which curved paper pressing unit 56 presses paper P and a setting in which flat paper pressing unit 57 presses paper P. That is, the shape of the portion of paper holding unit 34A that presses paper P is changed depending on the paper type. This makes it possible to relatively increase the contact area between the portion of paper holding unit 34A that presses paper P and paper P. As a result, paper P leaning against restriction wall 11 can be easily pressed to drop onto paper output tray 9. Also, damage to paper P can be reduced.

[0076] [Other embodiments] As described above, the present invention has been described by the first and second embodiments, but the descriptions and drawings forming part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0077] In the first embodiment described above, the paper pressing portion 47 is formed into a curved surface with an arc-shaped cross section, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the portion of the paper pressing portion that presses the paper P may be formed into a flat surface.

[0078] In addition, in the first embodiment described above, the amount of protrusion B in the paper holding portion 34 is adjusted in conjunction with the gap A between the support surface 38a and the clamping portion 46, but the gap A and the amount of protrusion B may be configured to be adjustable independently.

[0079] In the second embodiment described above, the amount by which curved paper pressing unit 56 and flat paper pressing unit 57 protrude from main body unit 36 ​​may be adjustable. In this case, the amount by which curved paper pressing unit 56 and flat paper pressing unit 57 protrude from main body unit 36 ​​may be adjustable in conjunction with the gap between support surface 38a and clamping unit 51.

[0080] In the first embodiment described above, the main body 36 and the movable part 37 of the paper holding unit 34 are made of resin. In the second embodiment described above, the main body 36, the clamping part 51, and the movable protrusion 52 of the paper holding unit 34A are made of resin. However, this is not limited thereto, and for example, the main body 36 and the movable part 37 of the paper holding unit 34, and the main body 36, the clamping part 51, and the movable protrusion 52 of the paper holding unit 34A may be made of metal or the like. In addition, the paper pushing part 47 of the paper holding unit 34 and the movable protrusion 52 of the paper holding unit 34A may be made of an elastic body such as rubber or sponge.

[0081] In the second embodiment described above, the paper holding unit 34A is configured to be switched between a setting in which the curved paper pressing unit 56 presses the paper P and a setting in which the flat paper pressing unit 57 presses the paper P depending on the paper type. In other words, the shape of the part of the paper holding unit 34A that presses the paper P is switched between two shapes depending on the paper type. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the part of the paper holding unit that presses the paper P may be switched between three or more shapes depending on the paper type.

[0082] In the above-described first embodiment, a configuration was shown in which paper holding unit 34 was provided with paper pressing unit 47. In the above-described second embodiment, a configuration was shown in which paper holding unit 34A was provided with curved paper pressing unit 56 and flat paper pressing unit 57. However, the paper pressing units may be provided on the belt of the belt conveyor unit, separate from the paper holding unit.

[0083] In the above-described first embodiment, two paper holders 34 are provided on one belt unit 21, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, one belt unit 21 may be provided with only one paper holder 34. The same applies to the paper holder 34A of the above-described second embodiment.

[0084] The present invention is also applicable to devices that transport sheets other than paper.

[0085] Thus, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention-specifying matters related to the claims that are appropriate from the above description.

[0086] [Note] This application discloses the following inventions.

[0087] (Appendix 1) a conveying section that conveys the sheet and that has a rotating circulating body and a holding section that is provided on the circulating body and holds the sheet; a stacking table on which the sheets conveyed by the conveying unit are stacked; a regulating wall that regulates a position of an upstream end of the sheet stacked on the stacking tray in a sheet conveying direction by the conveying unit; a sheet pushing section provided on the circulating body for pushing a sheet leaning against the regulating wall and dropping the sheet onto the stacking table without contacting the sheet; A discharge device comprising:

[0088] (Appendix 2) 2. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet pushing portion is provided in a holding portion.

[0089] (Appendix 3) The holding portion has a main body portion and the sheet pressing portion protruding from the main body portion, The discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the amount of protrusion of the sheet pushing portion from the main body portion is adjustable.

[0090] (Appendix 4) The holding portion is A support surface formed on the main body portion and supporting a sheet; a clamping portion that is formed integrally with the sheet pressing portion and clamps the sheet between the support surface, The discharge device described in Appendix 3, characterized in that the amount of protrusion of the sheet pushing portion from the main body portion is adjusted in conjunction with the gap between the support surface and the clamping portion.

[0091] (Appendix 5) 5. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the sheet pushing portion is changed depending on the type of sheet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Paper ejection device 2 Conveyor roller 3. Transport roller drive motor 4 Paper Sensor 5 Belt conveyor 6 Belt Drive Motor 7 End Fence 8 End fence motor 9 Paper receiving tray 10 Lifting motor 11 Regulatory barriers 12 Control section 21 Belt unit 31 Belt 32 Drive pulley 33 Driven pulley 34,34A Paper holding section 36 Main body 37 Moving parts 38 Paper receiving section 38a Support surface 46,51 Clamping part 47 Paper press section 52 Movable protrusion 53 Rotating shaft 56 Curved paper press section 56a Curved section 57 Flat paper pressing section 57a Flat part

Claims

1. a conveying section that conveys the sheet and that has a rotating circulating body and a holding section that is provided on the circulating body and holds the sheet; a stacking table on which the sheets conveyed by the conveying unit are stacked; a regulating wall that regulates a position of an upstream end of the sheet stacked on the stacking tray in a sheet conveying direction by the conveying unit; a sheet pushing section provided on the circulating body for pushing a sheet leaning against the regulating wall and dropping the sheet onto the stacking table without contacting the sheet; A discharge device comprising:

2. The ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet pushing portion is provided in a holding portion.

3. The holding portion has a main body portion and the sheet pressing portion protruding from the main body portion, The ejection device according to claim 2 , wherein the amount of projection of the sheet pushing portion from the main body portion is adjustable.

4. The holding portion is A support surface formed on the main body portion and supporting a sheet; a clamping portion that is formed integrally with the sheet pressing portion and clamps the sheet between the support surface, 4. The ejection device according to claim 3, wherein an amount of projection of the sheet pushing portion from the main body is adjusted in conjunction with a gap between the support surface and the clamping portion.

5. 5. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the sheet pressing portion is changed according to a type of the sheet.

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